Sony PlayStation Says, “Bring It On, Microsoft!”

Though Jupiter Research predicted that Xbox 360 would outsell Sony's PlayStation 3, they may have been unaware of just how cool Sony's console was going to be.

Donning a processor 35 times faster than PS2, the PS3 will act as a DVD player, DVD recorder, and DVR (digital video recorder), in addition to playing PS1 and PS2 games.

Microsoft touted the new Xbox as an entertainment hub, but the jury is still out as to what it has on Sony's version, as every Xbox feature seems to be answered and one-upped.

The next generation console will use high capacity Blu-Ray Disc ROM technology to answer Xbox's current generation hardware, a 54-gigabyte hard drive to Xbox's 20 gigabytes, and seven Bluetooth wireless remote control support compared to Xbox's maximum of four.

PlayStation 3 also comes with an ability to link to 2 separate screens as well as to PlayStaionPortables.

Other features include Memory Stick, SD, and CompactFlash media slots, a bay for an optional hard drive, and broadband Ethernet connections for real time networking, Internet access, and chat.

A resounding "gulp" could be heard from Microsoft's corner, as its own entertainment hub, which has historically been a money loser, had only the advantage of being on the market six months ahead of PlayStation 3.

This was a decided market strategy after the last head-to-head of the original Xbox and PlayStation 2, where it was thought that PS2 had a significant advantage by getting on the market a full year before.

While Christmas season timing and an MTV special preview may boost Xbox to a head start, serious gamers may wish to save their money until Spring to pick up the projected $400 PlayStation 3.